The present invention relates in general to cookers, and more particularly to a cooker with a support plate improved in structure and function.
For the sake of convenience, the present invention will be described with reference to a microwave oven as an exemplary cooker.
Generally, a microwave oven serves to cook food with a magnetron generating microwaves. The time and intensity of microwaves generated from the magnetron, i.e., cooking time and cooking temperature, vary depending upon the kind of food to be cooked. According to selection methods of the cooking time and temperature, the cooking modes of the microwave oven are divided into an automatic cooking mode and a manual cooking mode.
Under the manual cooking mode, a user can optionally select desired cooking time and temperature. If the cooking time and temperature are selected by the user, a controller in the oven drives the magnetron to cook food as selected.
In contrast, under the automatic cooking mode, a user can select a desired menu making use of a menu display provided in the front of the microwave oven, according to recipes for a plurality of menus stored in a memory in conjunction with cooking time and temperature. If the user selects a menu, a controller reads out the recipe for the selected menu from the memory and drives the magnetron to cook food according to the read out recipe.
Referring to FIG. 9, a control panel for selecting a menu in a conventional microwave oven which employs an automatic cooking mode is illustrated. As illustrated, the conventional control panel has a support plate 101 installed on the front of a component chamber (not shown) formed in the microwave oven. In the upper part of the support plate 101 are provided four menu displays 110 in their respective boxes. Below the menu displays 110 is installed a rotary knob for selecting a desired menu. In the lower part of the support plate 101 are respectively provided a menu selection button 121 on the left and a cooking start button 122 on the right.
Each menu display 110 is comprised of a plurality of menu bars 111 on the right, indicating xe2x80x9cPopcorn,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cWarming,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cThawing,xe2x80x9d etc., and menu group bars 113 A, B, C and D in the center, each indicating a group of menus. On the left of the menu bar 111 are disposed light-emitting diodes(LEDs) 115 corresponding to the respective menus whereas a light-emitting diode(LCD) 117 corresponding to each menu group bar 113 is disposed on the left of the menu group bar 113. These LEDs 115 and 117 are fixed to a Printed Circuit Board(PCB) (not shown) installed between the support plate 101 and the component chamber (not shown), and are exposed to the outside.
Light is emitted from the LED 117 for the menu group bar 113 when the rotary knob 120 is positioned at a rotation position corresponding to each of the menu displays 110. The LEDs 115 for the menus are lighted when the rotary knob 120 is positioned at a rotation position corresponding to each of the menu bars 111. The LEDs 115 and 117 are lighted by a driver (not shown) for driving these LEDs, and the driver is operated by the menu selection button 121 and the rotary knob 120.
According to the conventional microwave oven, a menu selection through the support plate is performed in the following manner.
If a user presses the menu selection button 121, the LED driver drives the LEDs 115 and 117 of one menu display 110 according to the rotation position of the rotary knob 120. The user can select his or her desired menu group and menu by rotating the rotary knob 120.
The LEDs corresponding to the desired menu group and menu are lighted, and then the user selects the desired menu by operating a switch for menu selection (not shown). The menu selection switch is configured to cooperate with the rotation of the rotary knob 120.
Then, if the user presses the cooking start button 122, a controller (not shown) reads out a recipe for the menu selected by the user from the memory and drives the magnetron.
However, because a support plate has a limited area in the conventional microwave oven, only a limited number of menus can be displayed.
As the menu group bars or menu bars increase in number, this makes it inconvenient to select a menu. In addition, since the number of LEDs increases, the circuitry becomes complicated.
The present invention has been made keeping in mind the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooker with a support plate improved in structure and function to display a variety of menus and cooking conditions.
The above and other objects of the present invention may be achieved by the provision of a cooker comprising a main body, a control panel and a heat source for cooking which is controlled by the control panel, the control panel comprising a support plate installed on a surface portion of the main body, a manipulation unit movably installed on the support plate, a memory storing a plurality of menu groups, a plurality of menus belonging to each menu group and a cooking condition for each menu, a device installed on the support plate for displaying the menu groups according to movement of the manipulation unit, a further device installed on the support plate for displaying the menus belonging to each menu group according to movement of the manipulation unit, a selection unit for selecting a desired menu group and a desired menu from the menu groups and the menu displayed on the menu group displaying device and the menu displaying device, respectively, and a controller for controlling the heat source to perform the cooking condition of the selected menu according to selection of the selection unit.
Preferably, the manipulation unit comprises a rotary knob being rotatable.
Preferably, the selection unit comprises a selection switch operating by pushing of the rotary knob.
Effectively, the menu group displaying device includes an annular display for displaying the menu groups in sequence around the rotary knob.
Preferably, the annular display includes a plurality of icons for displaying the menu groups.
Effectively, the cooker further comprises a plurality of LCDs corresponding to the respective icons of the annular display.
Effectively, the menu displaying device displays the menus on the annular display according to rotation of the rotary knob in sequence.
Effectively, the menu displaying device comprises a second display for displaying the menus according to rotation of the rotary knob in sequence.
Preferably, the second display displays the respective menus one by one and in sequence.
Preferably, the second display highlights the menu corresponding to the rotation position of the rotary knob among the plurality of menus to be displayed on the second display.
Preferably, the menu group displaying device includes a display for displaying the menu groups in sequence according to rotation of the rotary knob.
Preferably, the menu displaying device displays the menus under the menu group selected through the selection unit on the display.
Preferably, the display displays the respective menu groups one by one and in sequence.
Preferably, the display highlights the menu group corresponding to the rotation position of the rotary knob among the plurality of menu groups to be displayed on the display.
Preferably, the cooker comprises an indicator for indicating rotation positions of the rotary knob.
Preferably, the indicator is provided on the rotary knob.
Preferably, the indicator comprises a plurality of LEDs provided around the rotary knob, corresponding to rotation positions of the rotary knob.
Preferably, the plurality of LEDs are lighted sequentially during cooking.